Home networking is a rapidly growing area. Types of popular home networks include wireless IEEE 802.11 networks, HomePlug®1.0 PLC and IEEE 802.3 Ethernet networks. One constant concern with such networks is security. For example, in the case of a powerline communication network, neighbors share a common network infrastructure. Without properly encrypting communications, the security of one's data may be compromised.
The most common approach to maintaining network security has been through the use of encryption. Many systems rely on a private key encryption scheme in which a new client device registers with the server using a unique ID. The server is programmed with the client's ID or key, which may be used by both the server and the client to communicate with each other. One problem with the aforementioned approach is the laborious process of having to program the server with each client's key. This problem is compounded by the fact that servers are often located in difficult-to-access areas of the home. Another problem with this approach is that the client IDs are susceptible to interception during the initial registration process using, for example, what is known as a man-in-the-middle (MITM) attack.
As described in the parent application, another approach is to have the user manually enter a “secret number” displayed by a server. The secret number is first displayed on a display screen of the server. After reading the server display, the user manually depresses one or more keys on an infrared (IR) remote control which, in turn, transmits the secret code in an IR signal to the client to be registered on the network, as well as to the server. While this may overcome the MITM attack problem mentioned above, the problem with this approach is that the server is often located in a difficult-to-access location and cannot be readily seen, which means the generated secret code may not be visible to the user. Moreover, the user is still required to manually enter the server-generated code into each client device. Thus, what is needed is a system and method for device registration using optical transmissions.